Chief David CastlemanRescue Division

David Castleman is a lifelong resident of Jacksonville, although his fire service career began in 1994 in nearby Orange Park Fire and Rescue Department.

In 2000, Castleman departed Orange Park to advance his professional career with the JFRD. Castleman has been a Florida-certified paramedic for 21 years. During that span, he also worked as a critical care flight paramedic for TraumaOne Flight Service at UF Health Jacksonville, North Florida’s only Level I Trauma Center. Castleman earned his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Fire Science Administration from Waldorf College in 2013 (Summa Cum Laude) and recently completed his graduate studies with academic honors at Anna Maria College to earn a Master of Public Administration.

Castleman progressed through the officer ranks of the JFRD relatively quickly. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2007, captain in 2009, and district chief in 2013, where he was certified as the top candidate on the promotional exam for the rank of Rescue District Chief. As a district chief, he directly supervised more than 25 percent of the personnel assigned to JFRD's rescue division. Castleman also acted as a liaison between hospital emergency departments, administrative staff, and rescue personnel, and he routinely performed command staff functions at major incidents throughout the city.

Early in his career, Castleman had the opportunity to serve in some unique roles with JFRD. In 2004, he was appointed to a regional disaster strike team for Hurricane Ivan relief efforts in Panama City Beach and Navarre Beach, FL. In 2009 and 2011, he was one of three captains appointed to the EMS SOG Revision Committee. In 2010, Castleman traveled to Charleston, SC to assist with the design/spec of Mass Casualty Incident Response trailers that were purchased through FEMA and DHS grants for JFRD and surrounding regions.

With his appointment as the Division Chief of Rescue, Castleman has reached a professional milestone in his fire service career. As division chief, he leads a fleet of 47 ALS rescue units staffed by approximately 300 uniformed personnel that serve a response area of over 840 square miles, the largest metropolitan area in the United States. With nearly 87 percent of all JFRD calls for service being medical related, the Rescue Division will continue to play an extremely vital role in achieving the JFRD mission, the latter a foundation firmly planted in a commitment to professionalism and a passion for excellence by all JFRD personnel.